State of Colorado Archives: on Civil Rights

Mike Johnston:
Workplace discrimination law includes LGBTQ

Mike co-sponsored the legislation legalizing same-sex civil unions in advance of the Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage. Mike co-sponsored legislation expanding creating the largest expansion of the
Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act in state history. This bill enabled victims of workplace discrimination to seek compensatory and punitive damages, and for the first time included those discriminated against for sexual orientation.

Mike Johnston:
100% from Colorado LGBTQ group

He earned a 100% on One Colorado's legislative scorecard in 2016 (its first year).
One Colorado is our state's largest advocacy organization dedicated to advancing equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer Coloradans and their families.

Raul Labrador:
Orientation/gender identity shouldn't bar employment

My vision for Colorado is that we are a fully inclusive state allowing everyone to succeed based on merit and ability, including in public safety professions.

Source: Summit Daily on 2018 Colorado gubernatorial race
Jul 26, 2017

Victor Mitchell:
Voted against Trump due to misogyny concerns

His pitch may draw comparisons to President Donald Trump, but Mitchell didn't vote for the Republican nominee. Instead, he voted for third-party candidate Evan McMullin.

"I've been a lifelong Republican, but I couldn't get there," he said. "My son's a
West Point cadet. And the way (Trump) spoke about women was very concerning."

Still, Mitchell said Trump has his respect and he applauded him for putting together "a terrific Cabinet."

Source: Denver Post on 2018 Colorado Gubernatorial race
Feb 13, 2017

Mike Johnston:
Participated in Women's March in Denver

Q: You took part in the Women's March in Denver? Did that symbolize the kind of Colorado that you'd like to lead?

A: I found that event to be incredibly inspiring. It had the sense of a Colorado where everybody belongs--where people were inclusive
about differences, where everybody was not only tolerated, but supported. I believe there's a way to both be different and be connected, and I think what you saw was a real strong engagement. I saw a bunch of my neighbors there who
I know for a fact have not been engaged in politics before. They're just not political people, but they are people who feel that the brand their country has been given is not who they are, and they want to take ownership over this state speaking for
them and speaking for their values and their background. This election was a wake-up call that we can't fundamentally leave the public square for other people to solve.

Darryl Glenn:
Opposed health insurance for same-sex city workers

Glenn's top priority as a Colorado Springs Council candidate was to block rights for LGBT people. Glenn's time in the Colorado Springs was spent frequently fighting against equal treatment of LGBT people. In his unsuccessful first campaign in 2003,
he promised to make repealing domestic partnership benefits his top issue. After he was appointed to a vacant seat on the council some months later, he voted against allowing same-sex city workers to get health insurance
(even if they paid their own premiums), opposed employment protections for gay and lesbian people, and denounced LGBT pride parade organizers for supporting marriage equality,
saying, "proponents of this are trying to escalate the tension in this community." He even tried to create a diversity committee with no positions reserved for LGBT people.

Source: ThinkProgress.org on 2016 Colorado Senate race
Jun 29, 2016

Tim Neville:
Marriage is between one man and one woman only

Defend Marriage: I believe marriage is between one man and one woman only, and I oppose the federal government and Supreme Court forcing any other definition of marriage on the states.

My faith is the most important thing in my life.

Unfortunately, across the country there is a war on religious liberty, as Christian-based schools, businesses and non-profit groups are being fined or shut down simply for abiding by their Faith and religious values.

Amy Stephens made the case that Ken Buck hurt the party in his failed 2010 Senate bid. Stephens said that the Weld County district attorney's performance in a national television interview had significant ramifications. Stephens noted that "unfortunately
when Ken had the 'Meet the Press' incident, along with our gubernatorial (candidates), we watched a lot of things implode."

Buck said the campaign mistakes he made four years ago, including the controversial remark comparing gays to alcoholics, was a mistake he would not repeat again. "I was unprepared for the question, and
I answered it in a shorthanded way, and I shouldn't have answered it," said Buck. "I'm a better candidate than I was four years ago. I will not implode, though I don't agree with the premise I did implode."

Source: Denver Post on 2014 Colorado Senate debate
Feb 26, 2014

Owen Hill:
Gay marriage forces gay agenda onto straight society

Republicans failed twice to add a "conscience clause" to protect people with religious objections to homosexuality. One amendment was written broadly enough to protect businesses that embrace religious principles.
Another was tailored specifically to religious adoption agencies who don't want to place children with gay couples.

Without such language, opponents argue the bill expands gay rights at the expense of religious rights: "Slavery was not abolished for blacks by enslaving whites," said Sen. Owen Hill (R-Colorado Springs.)

Supporters of civil unions compare religious exemptions to Jim Crow laws. They say anybody providing a public service should have to treat gay couples equally.

Source: Brandon Rittiman on Colorado 9 News
Feb 8, 2013

John Hickenlooper:
Let's pass civil unions!

Let's pass civil unions!
Some of us tried very hard, but it didn't get done last year. This year, let's do it. Let's pass civil unions!

Source: 2013 Colorado State of the State address
Jan 10, 2013

Amy Stephens:
Traditional marriage without Civil Unions

On Family Values, Life and Civil Unions:

Majority Leader Stephens promise to voters:

Stephens believes in traditional marriage and does not support Civil Unions

The Women's Lobby of Colorado seeks to provide better opportunities for women in our state by ensuring that public policies reflect gender equity and justice. Our all-volunteer organization has kept the needs of women front and center in our state's
public policy debates.

The Women's Lobby of Colorado seeks to provide better opportunities for women in our state by ensuring that public policies reflect gender equity and justice. Our all-volunteer organization has kept the needs of women front and center in our state's
public policy debates.

Ken Buck:
Buck "mis-spoke" comparing homosexuality to alcoholism

Buck made national news after saying on Meet the Press that he believed same-sex attraction was a lifestyle choice and comparing homosexuality to alcoholism. He later stood by the statement even in the face of calls from gay activists, doctors and
psychologists to retract them and even given the fact that the statements strongly supported assertions made by his detractors that his views are out of sync with the views of most Coloradans. [One voter wrote to Buck] calling for Buck to retract his
comments. Buck's campaign sent this email:

Thank you for your response. Ken may have mis-spoke, but his desire is to serve the people of Colorado period. As the prosecuting attorney for Weld County, Ken was the only DA in the country
to try a hate crime that involved a transgender individual and win. Too often comments are misunderstood and taken out of context, but the hope is that you will realize Ken's commitment to Colorado and its citizens.

Ken Buck compared homosexuality to alcoholism Sunday in a nationally televised debate. [One analyst speculated], "The homosexuality question is going to produce most of the headlines out of the debate."

Asked by the host to elaborate on a statement he
made in an earlier debate about gays in the military, Buck said he believes sexual orientation is a choice. Buck went on to say, "I think that birth has an influence over it, like alcoholism and some other things, but I think that basically you have a
choice."

After the debate, a Buck spokesman said Buck did not mean to imply with his alcoholism comparison that Buck believes
homosexuality is a disease. Buck told The Denver Post after the debate that he "wasn't talking about being gay as a disease" but also said of his remark that "there's no doubt there will probably be a commercial on something like that" from Democrats.

Ken Buck:
Don't-ask-don't-tell policy makes a lot of sense

An issue that illustrates the differences between Buck and Bennet is the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. When asked about repealing don't-ask-don't-tell, Sen. Bennet said he supported lifting the ban, saying opposition to homosexuality was a result
of "outdated views of our society."

Buck said, "I do not support the repeal of don't-ask-don't-tell. I think it is a policy that makes a lot of sense." The don't-ask-don't-tell policy itself was instituted during the Clinton years and prohibits
inquiries into the sexual orientation of military members. The current policy states that a person who makes their sexuality known is subject to discharge under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The Colorado Independent, in a story
titled "Coloradans mostly agree with Bennet not Buck on don't-ask-don't-tell," reported that the majority of Coloradans supported lifting the ban. However, Buck's opinion appears to be more in line with the majority of generals and service-members.

Michael Bennet:
Opposition to homosexuality is an outdated views of society

An issue that illustrates the differences between Buck and Bennet is the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. When asked about repealing don't-ask-don't-tell, Sen. Bennet said he supported lifting the ban, saying opposition to homosexuality was a result
of "outdated views of our society."

Buck said, "I do not support the repeal of don't-ask-don't-tell. I think it is a policy that makes a lot of sense." The don't-ask-don't-tell policy itself was instituted during the Clinton years and prohibits
inquiries into the sexual orientation of military members. The current policy states that a person who makes their sexuality known is subject to discharge under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The Colorado Independent, in a story
titled "Coloradans mostly agree with Bennet not Buck on don't-ask-don't-tell," reported that the majority of Coloradans supported lifting the ban. However, Buck's opinion appears to be more in line with the majority of generals and service-members.

Ken Buck:
Prosecute the murder of transgender as a hate crime

Campaign For Liberty [created an] ad which is not a strict candidate endorsement, which would violate the law, but instead to promote the group's surveys.

The commenter suggests the ad was the work of wealthy Colorado gay-rights activist Tim Gill who,
the theory goes, is supporting Buck because last year Buck chose to prosecute the murder of transgender Greeley resident Angie Zapata as a hate crime. The prosecution was a victory for the Zapata family and the gay community that rallied around the trial

Source: John Tomasic in The Colorado Independent
Jan 28, 2010

Jane Norton:
Define marriage as the union of one man and one woman

On Marriage:
I support the traditional definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Ken Salazar:
Oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment

I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman. I oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment.
I support expanding hate crimes laws to include sexual orientation, and I support laws prohibiting discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

Ken Salazar:
Change the Patriot Act to balance civil liberties

Law enforcement needs effective tools to deal with terrorists, but we must balance our civil liberties with the need to protect America. I support the bipartisan Security and Freedom Ensured (SAFE) Act, which makes important changes to the
Patriot Act related to secret searches and roving wiretaps and impose reasonable limits on government access to library, bookseller, medical, and other records containing sensitive, personal information about law-abiding citizens.